Year in Pop: 2016

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Zoos of Berlin

Where the wild things are with Detroit's Zoos of Berlin; press photo courtesy of the band.

Where the wild things are with Detroit’s Zoos of Berlin; press photo courtesy of the band.

Detroit’s Zoos of Berlin are preparing to release their third album Instant Evening from the band’s newly launched imprint Don’t Look About and we are proud to present their b/w video for “Ambition Sounds” from Trevor Naud, John Anderson Beavers & Randall Kupfer. Dramatic lighting, shot composition, stoic poses on stage, & the flicker of a lit cigarette serve as the visual accompaniment for the group’s latest recorded by Collin Dupuis at The Zoodio that saw Trevor & Daniel I’s song sketches spring to new life. “Ambition Sounds” is a perfect examples of the infinite intrigue that surrounds one of greatest cult groups around deserving of all & hushed whisper hype & lavish praise bestowed.

Responding to our nosy inquiries, Zoos shared with us the following reflection on their new record, their previous record, the “Ambition Sounds” video & more:

Eclecticism has its drawbacks, but it keeps us interested in writing new songs—the idea that there is something new and different for us to do, that our best work is always potentially still ahead of us.

Like its predecessor, Lucifer in the Rain, our third album represents an embrace of our home-built studio as an instrument, and is a further move away from the spirit of our earlier recordings, which contained songs we played out extensively before ever committing them to tape. However, Instant Evening is more confident than Lucifer in assuming that, however varied the style of each song, our style as a band is finally what will make them cohere.

Our studio is located in an industrial building, and of course Detroit is a—former—industrial town. The basic concept of the video is that we are a work crew of some kind. So we see our characters applying protective face paint, wearing makeshift safety gear, inspecting the facilities, eating together while on break. It’s an oblique commentary on the nature of our work as a band, as well as the building and the city—a little rough, but resilient and resourceful—in which it takes place.